Looking, observation or surveillance?

The first part of this project is to read Panopticism by Michael Foucault from the course reader. The reader omits some paragraphs, so read the entire article on this link

Foucault starts by describing the surveillance process utilised during the Great Plague. He sets out some of the key ingredients of the system: that each street is placed under surveillance by a syndic, who leaves on the pain of death; a permanent registration of all inhabitants of the street; the ultimate power of the magistrate to appoint physicians in charge of treatment of the sick. The plague is met by order:

"It lays down for each individual his place, his body, his disease and his death, his well-being, by means of an omnipresent and omniscient power that subdivides itself in a regular, uninterrupted way even to the ultimate determination of the individual, of what characterises him, of what belongs to him, of what happens to him. Against the plague, which is a mixture, discipline brings into play its power, which is one of analysis."

Foucault contrasts the 'disciplinary project' of the plague with the 'confinement' of the leper, who was 'left to his doom', rejected. Leprosy led to separation, the plague to segmentation. The former was characterised by being marked, the latter by being analysed and distributed.

These two 'projects' - to use Foucault's term - were not incompatible; Foucault sees the coming together during the 19th century: the technique of 'disciplinary partitioning' was applied to many classes of exclusion, of which the leper was the 'symbolic inhabitant: beggars, vagabonds, madmen and the disorderly). Authorities act in double mode: that of binary division and branding (mad/sane; dangerous/harmless etc) and that of coercive assignment (broadly how he is to be controlled).

Foucault sees Bentham's Panopticon as the architectural manifestation of this composition. Based on the idea devised by his brother Samuel of a circular hub at the centre of a compound facilitating managers to oversee the activities of a large workforce, Bentham proposed a model of central overseeing for prison design. The salient feature of Bentham's Panopticon was that power should be 'visible and unverifiable'. The inmate will always be able to see the central tower from where he is being surveyed, yet unverifiable because he must not know whether he is being looked at, but aware that he may be. The disassociation is a perfect opposite: 

"...in the peripheric ring, one is totally seen, without ever seeing; in the central tower, one sees everything without ever being seen"

Power is automated and 'disindividualized'. 

The Panopticon can also be used as a laboratory. In a section that rather eerily predates the horrors of human experimentation during the Holocaust, Foucault says the Panopticon could be used to experiment with behaviour alteration, training, medicine, different types  of punishment and pedagogical experiments. These are considerably less malign than the Nazis' experiments, but the top of a slippery slope.

"Thanks to its mechanisms of observation, [the Panopticon] gains in efficiency and in the ability to penetrate into men's behaviour"

Within 150 years, Foucault observes, the disciplinary programme has been transformed. In the first, exceptional, situation, of a plague, society mobilizes and invents a power that is everywhere present and visible. It might be draconian, but the power is understandable to those it affects. By contrast, the Panopticon is:

 "a generalizable model of functioning; a way of defining power relations in terms of the everyday life of men."

The Panopticon is a 'cruel ingenious cage' used not only to incarcerate, but also to reform, instruct, supervise - it is 'polyvalent'. Power is no longer seen as an external 'heavy rigid constraint' but more subtly functions in the guise of efficiency.

Furthermore, it works on an 'amplified' scale because not only can many people be observed at once, they can also be observed by many: a transparent building in which the exercise of power may be supervised by society as a whole.

Discipline in the Panoptic model is applied more functionally; the model moves from one of exceptional discipline to one of generalized surveillance and the advent of 'the disciplinary society' applicable to many situations. Panopticism was to part to be a 'political anatomy'  embracing the relations of discipline. The disciplinary mechanisms would be a network. Here we can see the precursor of the police state in the post war Communist societies. 

Many video artists today use themselves as their subject. Think about this in relation to panopticism.

Self portraiture  has a long history. Portrait of a Man in a Turban by Jan van Eyck of 1433 may well be the earliest known panel portrait (Wikipedia). Photographers such as Cindy Sherman popularized the concept in the 20th century. The digital age is bound to increase this form of art as the technology (think of selfies on tablets or mobile phones) makes it so much more accessible. 

 More widely, the webcam is a popular means to visualize what was not possible before: action in a distant wildlife park; cheap communication across the globe, and more salaciously, for adult webcam 'communities' designed for online voyeurism and titillation.

This sort of art merges the three functions of looking, observing and surveillance; webcams in particular 'always there', mostly capturing the most mundane activities. At the most basic level, it is a sort of surveillance - an objective view of what is happening, not necessarily in an authoritarian way but more in terms of curiosity; this can easily move towards observing - where there is more understanding of the subject, and lastly looking, which can easily become voyeurism. One must assume that artists are not encouraging voyeurism so are aiming at viewers who 'observe', who might show a degree of empathy and understanding with the artist.

Find six images in any medium: two that are the result of looking, tow of observing and two of surveillance and explain your choices.

Looking at images is a common diagnostic tool in medicine.

Available from http://www.effmis.eu/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=2B8XzMhPKzY%3D&tabid=153&mid=822. Accessed on 18 August 2014

I have no idea what the different coloured areas in the above scanned image (available from https://docs.uabgrid.uab.edu/w/images/3/3b/Neuroimaging.jpg) mean; that is not the point. The important point is that SOMEONE does and that is why I chose this image. We should look at visual culture in its widest context; in the day to uses for visual media as well as their purely artistic manifestation.

Now consider this image of the Astra Zeneca (AZN) share price movement, taken on 18 August 2014 courtesy of TD Direct Investing:

This image performs a similar function to the one above but this time in graph form: I am looking for information as to whether now is a good time to buy this share. In this case I do understand better what is presented. The main graph shows an erratic trend of share price from which little can be elicited (AZN was the subject of a possible takeover in May 2014 by Pfizer, hence the spike in share price) other than that the price has decreased recently. 

A useful signal is that the 50 day moving average (red line) is above the 20 day MV line (orange). Many analysts will view this as a negative signal that the share price is heading downwards. The relative strength Indicator (RSI) in the middle is a gauge as to whether the stock is oversold or not - typically a reading of 30 or below is viewed as a buy signal. Lastly the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicates negatively, as the lines are below 0.

This information is all gleaned from looking at the graphs. The information is slightly contradictory (a common criticism of charting techniques) but shows how important visual techniques can be for investing.

Observing 

A boy observes a butterfly - available from http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/x/child-observing-butterfly-8906266.jpg. Accessed on 18 August 2014

The key difference between observing and looking is that the former has no preconditions. Looking at something implies that we are seeking something that we can use either to enhance our understanding of what we already know or for the advantage of ourselves (as in the graph) or others (as in the brain scan), whereas observing implies we have less understanding of what we are looking at; we have less expectation. 

The boy viewing the butterfly is a perfect example of this. He is using a magnifying glass to see the insect in more detail, trying to understand what it is doing on the flower and what it will do next.

A punter at Bath races in June 2012

 I took the above image at Bath races. It shows a punter watchin the action on the course. The punter is observing, he has an interest but can do nothing with the information he is eliciting; he cannot use the information to his advantage.

Surveillance

  

Surveillance is different from the other two. This is Foucault's Panopticism - a world wehre the visual advantage of some is used to control, manage or supervise the activities of others. Foucault's analysis is essentially negative as it focusses on humans surveying the behaviour of other people but surveillance can be positive as in products that detect forest fires early:

This is the positive side of surveillance - a modern version of the disciplinary project described by Foucault. I chose this example to show that surveillance can be positive.

Gatso speed camera.

Forest fire surveillance system Available from http://www.effmis.eu/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=2B8XzMhPKzY%3D&tabid=153&mid=822. Accessed on 19 August

A more controlling use of surveillance techniques. The Gatso camera captures images from vehicles and records those that exceed the speed limit by means of timing how long it takes to pass through a measured distance on the road. The information is used to identify the vehicle and then a Notice Of Intended Prosecution is sent to the vehicle owner. I use this example to identify how surveillance is used in practice.

The Mirror Phase as Formative of the Function of the I by Jacques Lacan

The theories of Lacan have been influential in the field of psychoanalytics. The course invites us to read this paper, make notes and then:

• find two examples of Surrealist work that might have echoes of the mirror phase, and then annotate them to show how;
• find two examples of the way contemporary media make use of Lacan's ideas and show how.

Lacan based his theory of the mirror stage on work by Henri Wallon, who noticed that both chimpanzees and humans seem to recognise their own image in a mirror but while the former seem to lose interest quickly, the human baby becomes increasingly engaged in the connections between their bodies and their images (Evans 2005). The infant is transformed by the fact that is can now conceive an image of itself:

"This jubilant assumption of his specular image by the child at the infants stage, still sunk in his motor incapacity and nursing dependence, would seem to exhibit in an exemplary situation the symbolic matrix in which the I is precipitated in a primordial form, before it is objectified in the dialectic of identification with the other, and before language restores to it, in the universal, its function as a subject."

This is the form that Lacan terms the Ideal I: the I infant is experiencing is untainted as the infant has no language skills or means of interacting with others. This form "....will always remain irreducible for the individual alone...".

It later transpired (Lewis, Brooks-Gunn and Jaskir 1985) that toddlers do not recognise themselves until 15 months; arguably Lacan over reaches himself here.

Lacan points out that humans, unusually in nature, demonstrate specific prematurity of birth. Humans require a long period of pre adulthood; consequently while we are forming our ideas of self, we incorporate our awkwardness, our jerky and imprecise movements into our I. This "fragmented body" manifests itself in dreams of "disjointed limbs" or "broken wings". The formation of the I is symbolised in dreams by a fortress or stadium: its inner area and enclosure, surrounded by marshes and rubbish tips." The subject "flounders in quest of the lofty, remote inner castle...".

These are vivid images, clearly very relevant to the world of visual culture, as Lacan provides an imaginary pictorial manifestation of his theory.

The theory builds on those of Freud. Lacan sees the mirror stage as the point where the ego (the part of our personality that engages with reality in order to get our needs met and subject to the influences of the norms of the world around us) starts to control and mitigate the desires of the id (the part of our personality driven by unconscious basic human desires). Lacan's dialectic is between I and Other; the mirror stage being the point where the child realises the boundary between the two - where he or she is an individual and not just a body reliant on others. The child develops an identity that is distinct but yet builds on images of others to define him or herself. The mirror stage defines the point where psychological development ends and language development begins.

This is a difficult read, replete with ambiguity and opacity. Webster (1994) summarises thus:

"Lacan's prose is thus liable to conquer its reader by its sheer power to overawe and intimidate. The intimidatory power of his formulations is heightened by the sheer obscurity of his prose. His writings convey the impression of an unremitting miserliness with meaning, as though any meaning conveyed to the reader would be a precious substance lost to the writer.

In short, there is an air of superiority, arrogance even, in Lacan's writing; a sort of "catch me if you can". It does not help, but hopefully the key points of his thesis for visual culture have been noted above.

Examples of works that might have echoes of mirror phase

Girl Before a Mirror, Pablo Picasso 1932

Picasso's work of 1932 shows Picasso's young mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter looking at her reflection as a death's head. Her beautifully curved pregnant self becomes distorted in the reflection, her face darkened. She fears for her future as reflected in the mirror even while there are changes in her existing self: between the natural colours and complexion on the left hand side of her face to the rougher, made up side, perhaps representing the transition from innocent girl to worldly woman (MOMA, 1999).

The mirror phase is echoed by the woman as an I engaging with a reflection of herself as an Other, indeed engaging to the point of reaching out to the reflection in an endeavour to unify the two selves. Levine (2008) suggests that the painting is an example of Lacan's extension of the mirror stage dynamics: his development of Freud's super ego concept. Lacan theorises that the super ego was the combination of the Ego of the Imaginery other that the emerging ego aspires to be like, and the Ego Ideal, from which the aspiring ego wishes to be judged; the distinction is perhaps the subjective view of me as how I wish to be, and an objective view of how I wish the world to see me. Levines sees this painting as Walter anxiously confronting her Imaginary other.

Not to Be Reproduced, Margritte 1937

Not to be reproduced  was commissioned by Margritte's patron, poet Edward James and is considered to be a prtrait fo James, albeit the poet's face is not evident. Again, we have echoes of Lacan's mirror image, but this time the "reflected" image is identical to the person. Is this saying that there is no difference between the I and the Other? I aspire to be exactly as others see me, i.e. my imaginary and ideal egos merge?The clue may be in the title as much as in the painting - I am as I am, and I wish no different.

Two examples of the way contemporary media make use of Lacan's ideas

 

The image I used for the previous Assignment can be used to show how contemporary media utilise Lacan's ideas. Lacan extended Freud's ideas that sexuality and sexual behavior are indicators of unconscious desires. Lacan further theorized sexuality to suggest that people must be taught desires and are always learning what to desire. Advertisers use this to perpetuate the concept that desire is external to individuals, rather than emerging organically from within. This is demonstrated by luxury goods manufacturers in particular. In this example, Patek Phillipe use the catchphrase to suggest that beauty is something extrinsic to the individual - that they can 'find' everlasting beauty by indulging in their expensive watches.

As as second example, I would add simply the use of social media. We are invited by all the major players - Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many others - to write our profile, to tell the world of our interests and personal details. Pictorially, the use of 'selfies' (famously used by three world leaders below) has become common place. Do we consciously paste a view of ourselves as we believe we are or how we wish the world to see us? In practice, we probably do both - setting out who we are but tailoring our profile to the medium in which it is represented; realising both ourselves as individuals, but at the same time part of a community on whom we rely.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt poses with UK PM and US president for 'selfie' at the Johannesburg memorial service for Nelson Mandela. Available from The Guardian. Accessed on 27 July 2014.

References:

Evans (2005) From Lacan to Darwin in The Literary Animal: Evolution and the Nature of Narrative, (Gottschall and Wilson, eds), Evanston, Northwestern University Press

Levine (2008) Lacan Reframed: Interpreting Key Thinkers for the Arts Available from Girl before a Mirror Accessed on 27 July 2014.

Lewis, Brooks-Gunn, and Jaskir (1985) Individual Differences in Visual Self-recognition as a Function of Mother-infant Attachment Relationship. Developmental Psychobiology 21.6 

MOMA (1999) Girl before a Mirror, Pablo Picasso collection notes


Webster (1994) The cult of Lacan, Freud, Lacan and the mirror stage. Availalbe from
http://www.richardwebster.net/thecultoflacan.html. Accessed on 28 July 2014.